{"id":52692,"date":"2016-09-24T09:15:37","date_gmt":"2016-09-24T13:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=52692"},"modified":"2021-11-18T09:06:46","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T14:06:46","slug":"80-20-rule-diet-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/80-20-rule-diet-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Everyone You Know Is on the 80\/20 Diet"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Why
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Olivia Munn says the 80\/20 diet helped her drop 12 pounds; Cameron Diaz and Miranda Kerr also swear by it. Heck, even weight loss guru Jillian Michaels is a fan. But what\u2019s so special about the 80\/20 rule?<\/p>\n

The general\u00a0concept is simple: You eat clean, nutrient-dense foods<\/a> 80 percent of the time and leave room for indulgences 20 percent of the time. This makes the diet more sustainable than plans with stricter guidelines \u2014 and more realistic for many people.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt encourages a healthy balance, with the freedom to enjoy your favorite foods every once in awhile,\u201d says Torey Armul, RDN, a Ohio-based spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s also a good long-term approach, because it\u2019s less restrictive and more of a permanent lifestyle change.\u201d<\/p>\n

But how does a kale<\/a> salad with full-fat ranch dressing factor into each category? What if the dressing is made with Greek yogurt? We spoke with top nutrition experts to get the answers to all of your 80\/20 rule questions.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>7 Easy Kitchen Hacks for Clean Eating<\/a><\/p>\n

5 Questions About the 80\/20 Rule, Answered<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1. How do you follow the 80\/20 diet exactly?<\/strong>
\nJust as there is no set definition for \u201cclean eating,\u201d there\u2019s also no clear-cut definition for how exactly to put the 80\/20 rule into motion. None of the experts we spoke with could pinpoint the origin of the diet and the suggestions on how to follow it vary. Jillian Michaels, for instance, wrote on her site<\/a> that you can devote 20 percent of your daily calorie allowance to treats like brownies. But, sometimes that\u2019s easier said than done and can take some calculation and willpower.<\/p>\n

Pinpointing exactly what constitutes 80 percent of your time \u201cis a very difficult thing to nail down,\u201d says Jen Bruning, RDN, a Chicago-based spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Plus, the goal number of daily calories will be different for everyone, so it\u2019s hard to give guidelines to stick to. \u201cWhat I\u2019ve found to be the most reasonable approach is to write down how many times you eat a meal and a snack<\/a> in a day. Then multiply that by seven (to account for a week) and calculate the 20 percent based on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, if you have one snack between breakfast<\/a> and lunch<\/a> and another one between lunch and dinner<\/a>, you eat five times a day, or 35 times a week. One-fifth of those is seven, so you can devote seven of your weekly meals and\/or snacks to the 20 percent treat-yourself category. \u201cThat\u2019s a little bit easier, as opposed to trying to pick and choose certain foods within one meal or snack,\u201d Bruning says. \u201cOn the days you have a lot of options, control and time to make healthy choices, stick with the 80 category. And then those times when you want to be able to relax a little bit, go with the 20.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Hot or Hype? 5 Crazy-Expensive Health Food Trends<\/a><\/p>\n

2. What counts as the 80 percent, though?<\/strong>
\nKeep in mind that the 80\/20 \u201cdiet\u201d isn’t like Atkins or Whole 30, for which someone has created clear parameters. That means there’s no definitive rules about calories, fat or sugar<\/a>. But a few experts have some advice\u00a0that can help you make smart choices for your 80 percent healthy meals. For starters: \u201cLean proteins, fruits, vegetables and whole grains,\u201d says Roberta Anding, a registered dietitian with Baylor College of Medicine. \u201cThe more sugar and highly processed foods<\/a> your overall diet has, the less healthy it becomes.\u201d Similarly, Armul recommends your 80 percent be \u201cexclusively healthy foods, like fruits and veggies, lean protein, whole grains and healthy fats<\/a>. If you\u2019re unsure about a food, consider it part of the 20.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>13 Healthy Freeze Meals to Prep Now and Eat Later
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

“Part of 80\/20 idea is that you\u2019ll never feel the deprivation that often leads to binging, since you\u2019re treating yourself occasionally.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3. How crazy can you go on indulgences for the 20 percent?
\n<\/strong>While sweets, comfort foods and refined carbs (like white bread) all have a place in the 80\/20 diet, experts don\u2019t recommend wolfing down an entire box of cookies as a 20 percent “snack.” \u201cPortions still count,\u201d says Armul. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be eating an entire gallon of ice cream as an indulgence. But part of 80\/20 idea is that you\u2019ll never feel the deprivation that often leads to binging, since you\u2019re treating yourself occasionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bruning suggests eating mindfully<\/a> and stopping when you\u2019re satisfied \u2014 whether you\u2019re eating an apple or chocolate. \u201cYou want to listen to your body\u2019s signals,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd you always want to honor the point at which you feel full.” Whether you’re having\u00a0an 80 percent meal \u2014 like a great salad or a piece of chicken \u2014 or one of the more indulgent meals, like a greasy slice of pizza<\/a>, stop before you get stuffed.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>5 Mindless Ways to Build Healthy Habits<\/a><\/p>\n

4. How do you know if the 80\/20 rule will work for you?<\/strong>
\nWhile the 80\/20 rule doesn’t ultimately amount to much more than “everything in moderation,” Bruning says it can actually be a great way for all-or-nothing folks to find a form of moderation that works for them. \u201cBecause it gives a quantifiable numerical goal, it\u2019s also good for people who find the term \u2018eating in moderation\u2019 a little too vague,\u201d adds Armul.<\/p>\n

If you have specific medical concerns \u2014 like a chronic illness that requires dietary modifications \u2014 you should check with a doctor before starting any eating plan, even the 80\/20 approach, says Anding. Also, if your relationship with food is complicated because of anxiety<\/a> or depression, 80\/20 may not be right for you, says Bruning.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>5 Ways to Conquer Binge Eating \u2014 And When to Seek Help<\/a><\/p>\n

5. Will it help you lose weight?<\/strong>
\nAh, the million dollar question. While the 80\/20 rule can make healthy eating a permanent part of your lifestyle, it won’t necessarily help you lose weight. \u201cIf you follow the 80\/20 rule and you\u2019re still getting more calories in your day than you\u2019re expending, you can still gain weight,\u201d says Bruning. Without a definition for portion sizes<\/a> or calorie control, it can really be variable in terms of how much people are eating \u2014 and how much they\u2019re gaining, losing or maintaining.<\/p>\n

If you want to see faster weight loss<\/a>\u00a0without obsessing over calories, Armul suggests following the 90\/10 rule. \u201cIt\u2019s a heavier focus on the healthy foods but still reminds people that they can treat themselves every so often,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tons of celebs \u2014 and your healthiest BFF \u2014 have said they are fans of the 80\/20 rule. But how does the diet work, and will it work for you?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,18],"tags":[291,41,71,341,388,285],"class_list":["post-52692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-weight-loss","tag-clean-eating","tag-diets","tag-nutrition","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2nutrition","tag-weight-loss"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52692\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}